Moving: It's like camping out, but boring and (hopefully) sans wildlife

I always hated camping. I loved the idea of it - ghost stories, s'mores, cozy camaraderie around the crackling fire - but when presented with the dirty, bug-infested, comfort-free reality each summer, I was somewhat less pleased. I'm now moved into my new apartment and feel a bit like I'm camping. I've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor since Friday night, with boxes for furniture and no internet, watching episodes of Commander in Chief on my iPod and studiously avoiding said boxes.

We're going to pick up my bed on Tuesday and hopefully this weekend I'll make it back to IKEA, at which point my apartment will begin to feel less like a squatters' hut and more like a home. Even though I'm currently eating with plastic plates and cups (which I've been rewashing!), I do have some very pretty new silverware:

It's the DATA set from IKEA. The picture really doesn't do it justice - as I look at the photograph I think, 'how boring!' but I think it's one of those things you have to see in person. They have a nice heft to them which makes them feel sturdy and not flimsy. And I just love the design, which makes them seem like some very strong person took an ordinary set of silverware and stretched them just so, as if they were rubber. They're elegantly attenuated but the heads are ever-so-slightly oversized. And did I mention it cost $24.99 for 20 pieces? IKEA does have cheaper options - I had planned on getting the perfectly adequate $9.99 Fornuft set - but I went to the store and saw DATA and knew that we would live happily ever after together.

Anyways, I never thought I would rhapsodize over a set of silverware but there you have it! Nordic design at its finest.